Drawn dizzy eyed avatar of John Hooks, inspired by a drawing done by his daughter Helen when she was three years old.

about me

Web developer, former crane operator.

In art school I visited a web development company in Seattle. A professor was giving us a tour and I remember seeing a screen full of code - dense, monochrome, nothing like the work I was making. I thought, "I'm glad that's not me."

I've changed my mind. Programming might be the most creative medium there is. It's the biggest set of LEGO blocks you can get your hands on, and you can build almost anything.

I ran a crane business for 18 years. I liked the independence - all the power to succeed or fail, nobody else to blame. That's also what made it scary. The whole time I was tinkering on the side, learning to program, going down rabbit holes. I have trouble letting problems go. If something doesn't make sense I keep pulling at it until it does.

In 2023 I made the switch to software full-time and joined Liquid Web. I like learning how things work. This site is where I write about it.

Past

  • 01-03 Columbia Basin College, Art Program. Drawing, painting, sculpture.
  • 03-04 Cornish College of the Arts, Graphic Design.
  • 04-05 Wenatchee Community College, Pomology.
  • 05-23 Hooks Crane Service. Ran my own business for 18 years. Scheduling, operations, maintenance, books. High stakes and early mornings.

Present

  • 23-Present Liquid Web. Came in knowing JavaScript and React, learned PHP and Laravel on the job. Now building queue orchestration and API systems for WordPress automation.